The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for manufacturing an electrical connector, such as USB electrical connectors.
Many electronic devices mate with electrical connectors that receive and provide power and data, e.g., USB electrical connectors. These electrical connectors are often cable assemblies that are designed to mate with corresponding receptacle connectors on an electronic device. A cable assembly may include a plug connector that plugs into the receptacle connector of an electronic device, thereby forming one or more conductive paths for signals and power.
The plug connector of a USB connector often includes a shell that surrounds and provides mechanical support and/or electrical insulation for contacts, the shell having a housing assembled over a portion thereof. These housings may be on the end of a cable. A progressive stamping operation is often used to form shells for USB plug connectors from a sheet of metal. Typically, the shell is formed such that the direction of shell's opening is parallel to the length of the metal sheet and the direction in which the metal sheet is fed through the progressive stamping process. At the conclusion of the stamping process, the shell may be removed from the metal sheet and manually assembled with the other cable assembly components.
Within the electronic device market, there is an increasing demand for smaller devices and smaller corresponding accessories, e.g., USB cable assemblies. This demand for smaller electronic components is often coupled with a high-volume production requirement. To decrease the size of USB cable assemblies, the shell, among other components, may need to be reduced in size through a process that is suitable for high-volume production.
Many manufacturing systems and methods face challenges in producing reduced profile or slim USB connector shells while satisfying high-volume production requirements. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods for the high-volume manufacture of a slim profile USB connector shell.